Dainty's Cruel Rivals; Or, The Fatal Birthday
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CHAPTER XVII.
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING.
Apparently the Ellsworth ghost became disgusted with the prosaic meansadapted to secure its identification.
From that horror-haunted night it ceased to invade Dainty's chamber withits grewsome cough and ghoulish presence.
It was true that in some of her occasional solitary moments, in somequiet twilight hour, she had been startled by the sound of that hatefulcough, coming from apparently nowhere; but she fled at once in terrorfrom the spot, and forebore to mention it to her lover, who wasradiantly happy, deeming that the malicious ghost was exorcised forever.
The beautiful summer days flew past on wings of joy, bringing thefateful first of August that was to witness Dainty's bridal, as well asthe twenty-sixth birthday of the handsome master of Ellsworth.
Everything was in readiness for the wedding when the last day of Julybrought Mrs. Chase to her daughter's arms again, and Dainty's happinessseemed complete.
Everything seemed to be going on so propitiously that Dainty cast herdismal forebodings to the winds.
Surely nothing could part her from her lover now! The malice of herenemies had fallen harmless to the ground.
Mrs. Ellsworth and her two favorite nieces were playing propriety withperfect ease. Indeed, the former had persuaded Olive and Ela to act asbridemaids, and provided them with elegant gowns of sheer white organdieover rich white silk. Mrs. Chase had brought with her Dainty's pretty,simple traveling gown and hat, and she had yielded to her lover's wishthat the marriage vows should be spoken in the same beautiful whiterobes that had graced his mother at her wedding, twenty-eight yearsbefore.
They had been folded away in linen and lavender many years--the laceveil and satin gown--and the owner would never need them more, for shewas wearing the robe of righteousness in the great procession of angelsbefore the Great White Throne. While Love was yet in his babyhood shehad passed gently away to heaven like a lily fading on its slender stem.
Love cherished her memory as something holy, and his heart ached withsilent grief when, five years later, his father gave him a step-mother,a handsome, stately woman, who had been uniformly kind to him until now,when her imperious nature overstepped the mark in her anxiety to havehim marry Olive or Ela.
But thwarted in her will, the lady was bearing her disappointment withwhat appeared to be graceful resignation, and she spared no efforts inpreparing for the grand wedding, that it might do honor to the proudmaster of Ellsworth. A magnificent banquet was ready, and the floraldecorations of the mansion were superb. It was to be a morning wedding,followed by a summer _fete_ on a magnificent scale, and that evening thebride and groom would leave for a Northern tour, and thence to Europe.
Sweet, shy Dainty, so like a lovely, modest violet, gazed in wonder atall the preparations for the magnificent wedding, scarcely able torealize that it was to do honor to her, the simple girl with whom herrich and noble lover had seen fit to choose to share his heart, andname, and wealth. She said to herself that she was surely the happiest,most fortunate girl in the whole world, and that her love story readlike some romantic fairy tale, with Lovelace Ellsworth as the grandPrince Charming.
Oh, how proud and happy Mamma Chase was, too, in her daughter's goodfortune! The years seemed to fall from her like a cast-off garment, andon her gentle face, Mrs. Ellsworth, who had wondered so where Dainty gother radiant beauty, read the traces of what had once been rareloveliness before time and sorrow had faded her flower-like bloom. Mrs.Ellsworth could not help being courteous to the gentle lady who was herhalf-brother's lonely widow, so that last day passed away busily andhappily, crowded with excitement, and that night the guest-chambers ofEllsworth were full to overflowing with visitors who had been biddenfrom a distance to their kinsman's wedding.
Until far into the moonlit summer night the halls and parlors ofEllsworth echoed with music and laughter, for the gay young peoplecrowded together could scarcely be persuaded to retire even for "abeauty sleep" to enhance their charms to-morrow.
But at length all went to their rooms, and the weary servants closed thegreat house, darkened the lights, and everything sank into silence,broken only now and then by the call of a night bird in the shrubbery,or the whistle of a far-away locomotive. The full moon sailed high inthe deep blue heaven, brooding over the sleeping world in its mystery,its beauty, its joy and sorrow.
Love and Dainty had gone along the corridors hand in hand like happychildren, pausing to say good-night before their own doors.
"Mamma will share my room to-night--we have so much to say to each otherthis last night," Dainty said to her lover, with a fleeting blush likethe sunset glow.
They were quite alone, with no envious eyes peering in the dim nightlight, and Love took his charming sweetheart in his arms and clasped andkissed her many times in passionate love.
"'This last night!' how solemn it sounds!" he echoed, then laughed. "Oh,my love, my love! what rapture to know that after to-night we nevershall be parted again!"
"Never, never!" she cried, joyfully, and clasped her white arms aroundhis neck, laying her soft cheek to his, whispering: "Oh, how glad I amthat you love me, that you chose me for your very own, life of yourlife, heart of your heart! I thank God for His goodness to me, and Iwill try always to deserve my great happiness."
Sweet, shy Dainty had never spoken to her lover with such ardor andeloquence before, and his reply was such a shower of kisses that shecould hardly tear herself away to enter her own room, where her motherwaited, and said, laughingly:
"Darling, I thought you and Love were not going to say good-night tillthe morning dawned!"